Benjamin Ree, Buzzy Genre Pics

Wrapping Thursday, industry reps mood was upbeat at the New Nordic Films in Norway’s Haugesund. A co-production, sales and networking event running parallel to the Norwegian International Film Festival, the  confab offered a curated program of what’s coming next from the Nordics, with a Baltic twist this year. 

Heavyweight players tagged the lineup “impressive’,” an adjective especially used for projects in development. Boat tours on the fjord, dynamic panels, networking ops and sunshine throughout the two-day event further lifted spirits of guests and Nordic film professionals, more than ever looking outside the region for partnerships.

Capped Attendees and Meetings

Attendance numbers of over 300 participants attendees was “an ideal maximum size for quality conversations,” said New Nordic Films honcho Gyda Velvin Myklebust in a post-market wrap. “We had exceptional pitches of 21 projects in development [out of a record 92 applications] and 16 works in progress which opened up the size of the event,” she said. Over the last two years, the Nordic Co-Production Market (NCPM)  has proved the NNF’s hottest strand due to the drying out of Nordic public coin and the overall tougher eco-system of indie film financing. Sydney Film Festival director Nashen Moodley, at the NNF for the first time, was pleased with the overall program. 

“The market was a great place to watch so much material in a few days. It gave a good snapshot of what’s been done the last year in the Nordics and the market screening lineup was very good and wide-ranging,” said the programmer who watched half of the 20-title market program in two days.  “New Nordic Films is a well-oiled organisation, so precise. That’s a nice change for us Southern Europeans,” joked Spanish veteran producer-distributor Paco Poch of Barcelona’s Mallerich Films who was eyeing possible co-productions with some NCPM teams, and hopes to be back in 2026.

From France, mover and shaker Guillaume Benski of Superbe Films, producer of “Mr Harris Goes to Paris,” was enthused with his first trip to Haugesund. “The market was a great discovery. For me the Nordics was one big brand, but now I can better identity each of the five Nordic countries, the type of movies they do. The quality of the pitches at the NCPM in particular was excellent-and from a producer’s point of view, the pitches themselves were very clear about what creators were expecting from the market, “said the French producer who attended 12 match making meetings and plans to ramp up TV and film co-productions with the Nordics.

Strong Market Value of Genre-Bending, Arthouse Fare

“There was a healthy and interesting balance between arthouse festival films, high concept/genre-driven films, as well as family/young adult films,” said Yuan Sui, co-managing director and head of sales at Berlin-based Picture Tree International, among some 20-plus sales agents in attendance. “What stands out is that many projects were market-aware: even the more artistically films were anchored in strong hooks (mythology, elevated genre, social themes). A few were in a very early stage (with 2027 Q2/Q3 shooting plans), but that’s part of the strength of the market; it gives us visibility on promising work early on and more time to adapt with the market,” she noted.

Benski enjoyed the “good mix of psycho thrillers, elevated genre, arthouse dramas, period pieces, children’s films, although his own top choice were genre-bending projects. “At a time when soft money is harder to secure, genre is a bit easier to finance,” he said.

Commenting on the overall NCPM slate, Casey Baron, Tribeca Film Festival programmer and co-production market jury, felt “a lot of projects had a true universal appeal and potential to hit [the audience], no matter what’s your walk of life.

Nordic storytellers have a natural intuition into tapping into humanity, the kind of things that make us tick, that either drive us or depress us, the kind of stuff that defines us for years. There is a real sensibility to explore that space, to mind that for interesting storytelling, and I think we saw that to the nth degree here,” he said.

For his party, fellow jury member Josef Kullengård, Göteborg Fest head of industry, highlighted the raft of seasoned directors and producers, as well as directing-writing talent coming into film from serialised drama, such as Måns Månsson, Baldvin Z, Johan Fasting, Björn Hlynur Haraldsson, Julia Lindström. “This is indicative of what’s happening in the industry, with creatives working both film and TV. It’s a standard now and that’s to everyone’s benefit,” he said.

Buzz Titles

At the NCPM, Storyline Production winner “The Greatest Illusion” stood out for its jaw-dropping story of a talented magician, navigating between memory and trauma of the killing of his mother by his father. Project is by acclaimed Norwegian docu filmmaker Benjamin Ree (“The Remarkable Life of Ibelin,” “The Painter and the Thief’).

There was also good word of mouth on Finnish elevated vampire pic “Blood – The Devil in Helsinki” by debutante Viivi Huuska who said in a video link: “Why the fuck haven’t vampires been smart enough to go to Finland? We have no sun-and we don’t like people! We’re weird on the street and no one cares!” 

“Viivi is most exciting voice coming out of Finland; she’s positively mad”, said genre-expert producers Aleksi Hyvärinen (“Lake Bodom,” “The Twin”) and Mika Pajunen. Also from Finland, the documentary “God is Tango” by Annika Grof sparked interested for its vision to explore Argentine tango as a path to relief in four war-torn countries.

From Iceland, the English-language pic “Klara” by Bjørn Hlynur Haraldsson stood out as an arthouse pic with international crossover potential, according to one sales agent; the suspense drama “Dark Ocean” by Baldvin Z scored for its A-list cast – Baltasar Kormákur, “Severance” star Ólafur Darri Ólafsson and its theme of toxic masculinity. 

Another claustrophobic offer to be shot on a ship – “Into the Ice” by Norwegian star actor Nicolai Cleve Broch – was viewed as a strong offer for streamers, while the Norwegian comedy “How to Steal a Bike” enthused for its catchy universal topic and humorous presentation from writer Johan Fasting. “That movie will appeal to people in any bike cities in the world – whether they are in New-York, hanging out on a beach in L.A. or in Iceland” said juror Baron.

From the strong slate of six Baltic projects part of the Baltic Focus, “Silverwhite,” which won a best pitch project honorary mention, captured an industry audience for its ambitious storyline spanning 7,000 years and potentially strong delivery by visionary Estonian filmmaker Martti Helde (“In the Crosswind”). Latvia’s “Sorcerer’s Eye” by Aik Karapetian had fans, thanks to a clever storyline and mix of live action/animation and family adventure.

Works in Progress Favorites

Stand-out titles by seasoned helmers ranged from monster pic “Kraken” by Pål Øie to animated feature “Dante” by Linda Hambäck to Finnish social dramas “Father’s Day” by Aleksi Salmenperä and “Don Quixotte of Barcelona” by Jarmo Lampela. 

Debut projects that caught delegates’ attention included the Sámi musical drama “Árru” by Ele Sofe Sara, realistic drama “Lucky” by Nitesh Anjaan and drama thriller about radicalism “Nipster” by Sunniva Eir Tangvik Kveum. But some buyers preferred to wait for the finished films to make a move. “The French market is highly competitive for foreign language pics. Besides the Cannes brand names Joachim Trier or Ruben Östlund, we need strong hooks and to watch the full feature to eventually take a risk,” said first time Haugesund attendee Daniel Chabannes, senior producer/distributor from Epicentre Films.

Animation Rocks at First Haugesund Showcase

At the first ever Nordic Animation showcase in Haugesund held in partnership with the association Nordic Animation, six heavyweight producers took centre stage to pitch some of the region’s most compelling projects.

After highlighting that feature film animation in Norway “is booming and experiencing a golden age,” Den Siste Skilling’s Kristine Knudsen (“Richard the Stork”) pitched her upcoming pic “Coco Banana and the Dinosaur” directed by Will Ashurst and Kjersti G. Steinsbø, co-produced with her Germany sister company Den Sister Skilling Germany and Seru Animation. The 3D film is due to enter production next year.

Her Norwegian counterpart Tonje Skar Reiersen of major studio Mikrofilm (a 2007 Oscar-winner with the short animation “The Danish Poet”), highlighted the young-adult skewed “Pesta,” by Hanne Berkaak, a love story set in Norway during the Black Death. The co-production with France’s Xilam Films and Germany’s Knudsen Pictures will step into production next year for a 2028 delivery.

From Sweden, Snowcloud’s Petter Lindblad presented “Millie and the Secret of the Crocodile,” the next 3D animation pic by acclaimed Esben Toft Jacobsen (“The Great Bear,” “Beyond Beyond”). The co-production with Nørlum Denmark and Viking Film in the Netherlands starts production later this year, with a planned delivery early 2027. LevelK handles sales.

From Denmark, Claus Toksvig Kjær from Nørlum Animation Studio –  which contributed to Disney TV’s “Big Hero 6” series and the Oscar-nominated “Song of the Sea” – said his co-production “Lotte & Totte”, has just passed 50,000 admissions in Denmark, making it the biggest pre-school title in Denmark for 20 years.

For the fans of the 2008 Icelandic hit “Ploey-You Never Fly Alone,” which sold to over 70 territories, producer Haukur Sigurjónsson of GunHill unveiled the good news that the sequel “Ploey-the Legend of the Wind” will hit screens in 2027. The expanded brand will include a large merchandise offer with books, soft toys and two spinouts in development. Sigurjónsson also underscored the enlarged community of animation producers in Iceland with Compass Films, Tulipop, and the country’s Oscar nod in 2021 with “Yes-People” by Gísli Darri Halldórsson.

Another prime purveyor of quality Nordic animation, Finland’s Anima Vitae, credited for the blockbuster “Niko” multi-pic franchise, presented its next feature “Fleak” which premiered in Annecy and will hit local screens this fall.

Baltic Focus

The first NNF and Baltic film agencies’ joint initiative to boost Baltic and Nordic ties, was a successful bet as 30-plus producers, funders from Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania were able to network with their Nordic counterparts and discussed ways to boost collaborations. 

At the panel Insights on Co-producing with the Baltics on Thursday joined as speakers Lithuanian producer Brigita Beniuŝytė of M Films (“The Visitor”), Inga Blese at the National Film Centre of Latvia’s (NFCL), Estonian cash rebate commissioner Nele Paves and Estonian Film Institute’s head of production Viola Salu. They reminded the floor of the Baltics’ competitive cash rebates, large pool of skilled professionals and talent. Paves said Finnish projects are “the bread and butter” of Estonian co-producers, thanks to a long-standing relationship, cultural and geographical closeness, but she urged Swedes, Danes and especially Norwegians to step up. “We are very professional, solution-minded, straight in deal-making and have a good sense of humor,” they summarised.

Picked for the Nordic Co-Production Market showcase, the six Baltic projects in development received strong feedback from attendees. Kullengård from the Göteborg Festival felt the Baltic slate “integrated really well into the overall Nordic selection thanks to their high quality and shared story-telling and cultural affinities between the Nordics and Baltics.

Norwegian pics local-global appeal

During the Norwegian Film Festival and New Nordic Films, Norwegian films displayed their full pulling power, especially Lilja Ingolfsdóttir’s “Loveable” and Dag Johan Haugerud’s “Sex-Love-Dreams” trilogy, which both won national Amanda Awards  – on top of a Nordic Council Film Prize nomination for “Dreams.” 

“Loveable” and Haugerud’s trilogy were also discussed at a panel staged by Europa Distribution, attended by distributors from Italy (Wanted Cinema) and the Czech Republic (Aero Films) who detailed their launch and promotional strategy for the pics. Motlys’ Yngve Sæther, producer of “Sex-Love-Dreams” said he was proud to be “part of the Norwegian wave,” an upward trend in the global appeal of Norwegian films confirmed by the Norwegian Film Institute’s Hanne M. Okstad, the NFI’s international promotion advisor, who discussed the institute’s international distribution scheme. 

“Over the last four years, we’ve supported 55 unique Norwegian films internationally and 165 releases globally,” she said,’ underlining the NOK 250,000 or $24,400 grant per territory, seen by many distributors as a vital distribution support.

At home, Norwegian films are still struggling to climb back to pre-pandemic times, said Espen Pedersen, head of Film & Kino and chair of the Board of the Norwegian Film Festival. He said local admissions so far are down 15%, due to the lack of Norwegian tentpoles and the hot summer weather, but he is hopeful that the end of year will close with over 9.5 million admissions and a Norwegian market-share of around 25%.